Shiv Sunder Das is a long term prospect
Cricketers from Bombay, Delhi, Hyderabad, Madras and Bangalore dominated the Indian cricket scene for a long time
Woorkheri Raman
12-Jun-2001
Cricketers from Bombay, Delhi, Hyderabad, Madras and Bangalore
dominated the Indian cricket scene for a long time. This was the
result of a very good infrastructure and cricket culture in these
cities. In the recent past, there have been significant changes for
the better, what with the emergence of talented cricketers from the
less fancied areas.
A case in point is the latest star of Indian cricket, the diminutive
opener Shiv Sunder Das. Debasish Mohanty, the first cricketer to play
for the country from Orissa, might have in a way inspired the pocket
sized opener to really fancy his chances of playing for the country.
Das made a name for himself early on with substantial contributions
for his state in the Ranji Trophy. There is a lesson to be learnt for
all budding cricketers from Das' success story. He mentioned to me
once that he hardly gets a good turf pitch to practice on! With hardly
any facilities to make use of, Das' steadfast will and determination
have brought him to where he is today. As one who had to contend
playing on coir matting pitches, he had to adapt himself both mentally
and technically to playing on turf pitches. In order to do that, he
obviously had to work on his technique and also had to be a willing
learner.
A lot of players do not show the necessary inclination to learn the
moment they have a couple of good first-class matches and that is the
reason why some of them fade away in a jiffy. Das is a good back-foot
player, which is a key pre-requisite for succeeding in international
cricket against genuine quick bowlers. This may be attributed to the
fact that he was brought up on matting tracks. At the same time he
plays well off the front foot as well. The most remarkable aspect
about his batting is his tight defence, which is brought about by
playing with soft hands. Another positive facet of his batting is that
he is still until the ball is delivered. He is very much aware of
where his off stump is, which once again is essential for any batsmen
to negotiate swing and seam.
Being an opener, Das also has to be extremely fit to bat immediately
after fielding. He has worked on this aspect during his stints in the
NCA and also when he was sent to the Australian Cricket Academy. He
might have been surprised at times by deliveries rearing from just
short of length but his judgement of bounce and pace will only improve
with more outings.
Good things come in small packets is the adage and it is apt in the
case of Das. He is a batsman youngsters can try and emulate because he
is in the conventional mould. From what little one has seen of Das,
there is absolutely no doubt that the young opener will serve the
country for a long time to come.